


Heaven Help a Fool Who Falls in Love

by writeskatelive



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:35:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24132949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeskatelive/pseuds/writeskatelive
Summary: Yang Jin doesn't know exactly how or when he fell in love with Cheng Peng, but he can no longer keep his feelings to himself.Just a cute one-shot inspired by Peng/Jin's amazing short program to "Ophelia" by The Lumineers.
Relationships: Cheng Peng and Yang Jin, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han
Kudos: 3





	Heaven Help a Fool Who Falls in Love

Yang Jin pulled his coat tighter around himself as he stared out at the gray skyline ahead of him. The wind bit his ears, making him wish he had brought a hat. Under his feet, the ferry was making slow and steady progress along the Hudson River.

A few feet in front of him, a familiar figure leaned against the rail – his skating partner, Cheng Peng. She was tiny even in her heavy coat, and unlike him, she’d been smart enough to bring a hat. The bright magenta wool snuggled around her head, covering the fine brown hair she usually wore in a sassy pixie cut. Despite the bitter cold and the cloudy sky, she smiled at the world with a charming innocence that made his heart tap-dance.

It had been nearly four years since the day they had paired up. When she had first arrived here, she’d been a quiet, shy girl, slowly emerging from the shadow of her massive former partner. She had been so scared of jumps that their coach had initially despaired for their future as a pair. When he’d raised her delicate body into the air for their first lift, he’d felt as though he was holding a butterfly, something tiny and precious he needed to protect.

He wasn’t quite sure when that fragile girl had grown into the brave, energetic woman he saw now. And he wasn’t quite sure when that brotherly fondness in his heart had turned to romantic affection. But lately, he couldn’t think about anything but her.

On the other side of the ferry, their training mates were looking at the skyline through one of the observation binocular sets stationed around the rail. It was a running joke that, despite their unbreakable loyalty to each other and sizzling chemistry on the ice, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han had sworn never to fall in love. Chinese pairs had a history of getting married – Yang and Cheng’s own coach had married his partner before they’d even retired.

The idea always made Yang blush.

He had never asked Cheng how she felt about him. When they’d first paired up, she’d been so nervous that there had been no chance for a relationship. She had grown into a confident, beautiful young woman, but he still didn’t know how to approach the topic without making a fool of himself.

He forced himself to close the distance between them and lean against the rail beside her. She smiled as he came into her periphery, but she didn’t pull her eyes away from the horizon.

“Not the best day for a ferry, huh?” he said. It was far from a good pickup line, but at least it would start up some conversation.

“Oh, it’s not so bad!” She grinned, and a corner of his heart melted. “This way, the sun’s not in our eyes!”

He smiled back. “Yeah, you’re right.” He had always admired her cheerful outlook on life, even though he hadn’t mastered it himself. “It’s not such a bad day at all.”

“See that over there?” She pointed to a muddle of glass and scaffolds across the way. “They’re building a hotel.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” He pointed at a building with a star on the roof. “What’s that one over there?”

“I’m not sure.” She squinted at the skyline, scrunching up her cute face. “Maybe a bank?”

Yang blinked. A snowflake had landed between his eyebrows and was now sliding down towards his nose. Another one settled in his hair.

Cheng’s eyes lit up as one fluttered down to nip at her eyelashes. Three more drifted down to her cheek and nose, and she laughed. “Look, it’s snowing!”

She stuck her tongue out, trying to catch one. Laughing, she batted at the air as a flurry started to swirl around her, like a little swarm of butterflies. She was so adorable it made his heart collapse in on itself, and before he could stop himself, he kissed her.

She gasped as the cool tingle of the snowflakes on her lips was replaced by the warmth of his mouth. She stood stiffly for a moment and he started to step back, but her arms came around his waist, telling him to stay. Her lips were cold from the weather, but as they held on, he felt a slow, comforting heat warming them both.

He pulled back slowly, his face burning. He had messed it all up. He had promised himself not to kiss her until – if – she agreed to go out with him. Ugh, he was so stupid.

“I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I didn’t – I didn’t mean to–”

But Cheng was just grinning up at him, the snowflakes collecting on her shoulders and collar. She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. His heart was ready to explode out of his chest any minute now.

“Cheng! Yang! Get over here!” Wenjing came running at them, her bob of dark hair flapping in her face. “You’ve got to see this. Come on, the view’s way better from over here.”

Cheng blinked and turned around to follow Wenjing, but Yang stayed frozen in place, watching the two girls cross the ferry to the telescopes on the other side. Despite the chill biting through his jacket and the fresh snow stinging his ears, his body felt warm and alive with something new, something deeper.

He didn’t join the others as they crowded around the binoculars. Right now, he didn’t trust himself to stand beside Cheng without letting those feelings slip through the mask of indifference he was struggling to maintain. He was still trembling with the realization that Wenjing and Cong might’ve seen that kiss; he wasn’t ready to let the world see how he loved her yet. He didn’t want the press chasing them down, stealing away the serenity he felt when he was around her. What he felt for Cheng was quiet, intimate, and delicate, something that needed to be shielded from the harshness of the world.

He had acted like a fool today. But perhaps all people are fools when they fall in love.


End file.
